Pumping vs hand expression

[Teenytoona]

I've been pumping from work for DD since she was 5 weeks old, she's now nearly 6 months. I use the Lansinoh double electric pump. I am not able to go handsfree, try as I may (I am too large breasted for any hands-free pumping bra and I have had it down to several rubber bands and a hair band/elastic band combo ala kellymom's suggestion and nothing seems to support it right, so I'm pretty much tied up). I know that there are considerable changes in how the body makes breastmilk in that first half year or so. It's been pretty evident IME. I usually am able to pump at work 4-5 sessions for my 9 hour day (that does not include commute). These sessions last about 10 minutes on the pump, both sides at one time. I"ve tried to increase my time (some lunch times I've gone as long as a half hour on the pump), but have never had a second let down occur. I know that I've had second let down while DD nurses, it just seems the pump is not the mechanism for it.

My once over abundant supply ( I could pump 2-3 oz in 2 minutes) has dwindled to not quite cutting it/just making it. Lately I've had to a. detach and reattach to the horns to get a certain amount of localized pressure, this seems to help with output for a few cycles, but I must do it repeatedly. b. constantly attempt to massage, which is tricky as both my hands have to hold the horns c. say chuck it all and spend an extra ten minutes attempting to hand express. Usually, I get a really good output from hand expression - several sprays all at once. But they go EVERYWHERE and some of it does not end up where I need it.

I'm wondering about any tips on hand expression? What's the best way to catch it all?

Any tips on how to up the pumping sessions? Do I just need to start drinking fenugreek tea? IF so, do I need to do it forever-and-ever-amen til the end of nursing?

Any fellow lansinoh pump users have any pump specific tips?

[rlynn08]

i don't have a lot of advice but i did want to say that i EP and i've had some luck with taking fenugreek pills...3-4 pills 3 times a day. i don't have to take them all the time...i take them when i notice a dip in my supply and then stop once the supply goes up...usually in 3 days. of course, everybody is different and will react differently but thought i'd share my experience with fenugreek.

hope you get some tips on the hand expression and your supply improves. : )

[red17]

When your supply was much more, was your diet different too? Or do you think it is simply being away from your dc and having to use the pump that is impacting your supply? I ask about diet because I found that if I did not eat a lg bowl of oatmeal I was sunk for getting much -- which was why I brought the steel oats when I went on a short trip and made sure there was a micro to make it. It had to be the real oats not the minute kind or the supply was not as good.

About fenugreek. It does help. I couldn't take it though as my whole body was swelled and the fenugreek kept my breasts so swollen (but not with milk that my dd couldn't latch for the 1st 7 weeks! I found that Blessed Thistle and Alfalfa helped but the best was a tincture from Herblore for increasing breastmilk supply. Once I started taking that I found that my dwindling supply was again back to about half what my dd needed. I was overjoyed : to be able to feed her at all as the LC gave me NO hope .

Kellymom has a page describing how to get more milk during a pumping session. It is a little strange, but it does work -- Compress(?), Massage, Shake, and Flick I think is the order.

Good luck mama. I cannot imagine how challenging it must be to be away from your dc. Just know that you are doing your very best to bring him the best nutrition on earth.

[savithny]

I found I did better not hand-expressing, but using a manual pump, doing one side at a time with breast compression/massage AND making the pump mimic my baby's sucking pattern.

The pump I borrowed just went "thup thup thup thup thup...."

My baby nursed "Thupthupthupthup..thup thup thup ... thup..thup..thup..thup..thupthupthup...thup..thup. .thup..."

And with the Avent, I could do what baby did, which got a better longer letdown for me, and sometimes more than one. Yes, it did take longer, but I just couldn't let down well for the pump at all.